Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Mar 2015
ReviewEmerging new therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
The goal of this article was to review the safety, efficacy, and potential for utilization of the newly approved once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. ⋯ The GLP-1 receptor agonists have proven efficacy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and may provide patients with additional nonglycemic benefits, including significant weight loss and decreased systolic blood pressure. The newer once-weekly formulations are more convenient than the BID and once-daily medications, which could improve adherence and may be more attractive to providers and patients.
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease in adults. It is almost invariably lethal within a few years after the onset of symptoms. No effective treatment is currently available beyond supportive care and riluzole, a putative glutamate release blocker linked to modestly prolonged survival. This review provides a general overview of preclinical and clinical advances during recent years and summarizes the literature regarding emerging therapeutic approaches, focusing on their molecular targets. ⋯ Currently, no therapeutic effort seems to be efficient, but recent findings in ALS could help accelerate the discovery of an effective treatment for this disease.
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Clinical therapeutics · Mar 2015
Multicenter StudyCorrelation between baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes in a large population of diabetes patients treated with liraglutide in a real-world setting in Italy.
Treatment with liraglutide in randomized controlled trials is associated with significant reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and weight loss in type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of this retrospective observational study was to investigate correlations of glycemic control and weight outcomes with baseline characteristics of patients starting liraglutide in outpatient clinics in Italy. ⋯ Treatment with liraglutide in a real-world setting is associated with low therapy failure, good glycemic response, weight loss, and improvement in systolic blood pressure and lipid profile. The HbA1c drop did not differ among baseline BMI classes, indicating that efficacy is maintained in patients with lower BMI. The probability of reaching HbA1c ≤7% was significantly higher in patients previously treated with metformin alone and without any previous insulin. This could reinforce the hypothesis that better results with liraglutide could be achieved in patients after early metformin failure.